Monthly Archives: March 2011

Today is installation day for The Gallery of Greater Victoria's "Art In Bloom - Celebrating the art of gardening". One part of this dynamic community event is the "floral interpretations" where artists, designers, and florists create botanical interpretations of various works in the gallery's diverse art collection.

Detail

Check out our floral interpretation in the mansion section of the gallery March 28th - April 2nd. We were given Canadian artist, Sophie Pemberton's "Spring" of 1902 to interpret - a very large traditional landscape portrait. We decided to honour this beautiful piece by creating a traditional loose arrangement in a golden urn to emulate to the gold frame around the painting. Curly willow branches reference the trees in the landscape and a collection of blue, pink and yellow flowers including dancing lady orchids pay tribute to the florals depicted.

Our

There are many other great things going on during this event including a lecture series, workshops, silent auction, a red carpet gala and much more. With proceeds going towards exhibitions and programming at the gallery, this is a great opportunity support your local art community while celebrating the welcomed arrival of spring! Get all of the details on AGGV's website, here.

Have you seen the latest Telus Optik TV commercial? It turns out that our half-Vulcan half-human friend Spock of Star Trek is a fellow Modernist. The commercial depicts Leonard Nimoy in a swanky mid century modern home receiving Telus Optik TV installation. Watching the commercial, I was supposed to have been swayed into purchasing a new cable service ... but I was more interested in the Eames Storage Unit, Nelson Ball Clock and Triple Fixture Cigar Bubble lamp in the background.

Cigar

Eames

Ball

Find these and all kinds of other mid century modern products that I'm sure Spock would enjoy on our website, here.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized on March 22, 2011 by Amy Cripps.

Earth friendly design lovers will be happy to hear this. You no longer have to suffer the guilt of adding another piece of unwanted furniture to the landfill thanks to french designer Elise Gabriel. Her "Zelfo Embrace" collection of furniture and lighting is adorable, functional, and biodegradable.

Liga Collection by Elise Gabriel - photo: designboom.com

The main ingredient, Zelfo, is made of cellulose fibres deriving from plant materials that are soaked, pressed and dried to mold the shapes they are pressed onto. Gabriel seems to have spent a great deal of energy researching and experimenting with this material and process in order to produce an aesthetically pleasing line of tables, chairs and lighting.

photo: designboom.com

photo: designboom.com

photo: designboom.com

photo: designboom.com

I love the way that the final products pay tribute to their source: vegetation and plants. The surface of the furniture is very textured and fragile looking and the way the different parts join together are reminiscent of stem and branch joints. The lamp shades are thin enough that light diffuses through them as the sun might shine through flower petals.

photo: designboom.com

photo: designboom.com

photo: designboom.com

photo: designboom.com

Elise Gabriel is an award winning designer and her work is currently being displayed at Galerie Gosserez in Paris until April 4th, 2011.
source: designboom.com